Jesus A Gospel Of Love: Answer both of those questions and shed some light upon what Jesus really said and what he meant, let’s look at the Aramaic text and consult two expert translators of Ancient Aramaic, Dr. George Lamsa and Dr. Rocco Errico. “Why should we concern ourselves with Aramaic when we have the King James Bible, written in English?” you may ask.
The answer is that Jesus spoke Aramaic. Aramaic is an Eastern Language full of idioms and figures of speech. Many passages in the King James Bible that seem confusing and contradictory are just poor translations of Aramaic. For instance, in Luke 14:26 Jesus says, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.”
Is this the same Jesus who taught love and tolerance? Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:44 (KJV) “But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray or them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”
The problem is that when the King James Bible was written the translator missed the intended meaning of one word in that verse and that changed the whole meaning of the verse. It is the Aramaic word, “sna”. It is a word with 5 meanings. Just as there are words in English with multiple meanings, there are words in Aramaic with multiple meanings.
While one of the meanings of the word, “sna” is “hate” or “detest”, it also means, “to stand straight,” to “Put out a candle or light, ” a “threshing floor,” and “to set to one’s side.” (according to Dr. Errico in his book, “Let There be Light, the Seven Keys”)
Considering Jesus’ other quotes regarding love and forgiveness it is easy to see that he was using the last meaning of the word, “to put to one’s side.” In other words, in order to follow Jesus, one had to be ready to leave his or her family behind. Jesus was a radical religious leader who was at odds with the powerful Pharisees, during dangerous times. He knew some mothers and fathers would try to discourage their sons and daughters from following him so he made it clear that as much as his followers might love their parents, there might come a time when they would have to choose between their loved ones and Jesus.
Seeing how one word with multiple meanings can cause so much confusion, is it any wonder that Jesus’ last words on the cross, a time of great fear, confusion, and anguish for his followers, would present such an opportunity for misquoting and misunderstanding?
We must also remember that Jesus was a good Jew who kept the law of Moses. At that time, when a pious Jew was dying, he or she would often recite the 22nd Psalm, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?” Therefore, many people believe that is what Jesus said as he was dying on the cross.
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